Burnt Rubber
by luna1802
Summary: A oneshot about if Luffy was almost killed in the Grey Terminal fire but Dragon saved him.


**(A/N Hello everyone! This is a oneshot about if Luffy was saved by Dragon during the fire in the Grey Terminal.**

 **When it goes into Ace's POV I put in 'the bandit's from Dadan's Kingdom.' Not sure if that's what it's called but I think I saw the place where the Dadan's hideout is being called that.**

 **And when in Dragon's POV I think since he's known to be very powerful we can assume he can use Haki. Anyways hope you enjoy!)**

Luffy struggled against the ropes that bound him to the wooden pole behind him. He needed to get out of here. He needed to find Ace. Those damn Bluejam pirates took him away...he better be okay! Luffy coughed as smoke filled his lungs. With a glance behind him he saw the tall flames growing closer turning everything they touched to ash, him included in a few minutes. But he was a rubber person so he wouldn't smell too good when he burned.

No matter how hard he tried, the ropes were just too tight. He slumped in defeat against the pole, his lips going into a pout. "Ace...Sabo…" He mumbled as he looked up into the dark sky. Seeing the stars beyond the thick smoke gave him a sudden surge of determination. Luffy once again stood and pulled with all his might, hoping that his rubberiness would kick in and he'd slip out of the ropes. But nothing happened, he only achieved a bad case of ropeburn. "This power is supposed to be _cool_ , it's _useless!"_ Luffy said under his breath.

The crackle of flames that sounded incredibly close by startled him. Luffy looked over his shoulder with wide eyes to see the red hot flames eating away at a pile of wood...which was _right_ behind him. Panic overtook him and in a frenzy he wildly kicked at the earth. Dirt and rocks went flying into the air, his eyes stung from the intense heat. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted embers spiraling into the air as wood gave out.

Then he felt it.

The burning sensation began on his ankles and worked it's way up to his knees. He smelt it too, the awful smell of rubber burning. After a few seconds of being confused by the pain he realized with a cold feeling that the fire had reached him. With his vision now blurry he managed to see his legs not looking their normal color. They were orange with streaks of red, the color of fire. "No….get off! Get off of me you stupid fire!" Luffy shouted, he immediately regretted it. His throat had been burning for a while now, shouting only made it worse.

He felt himself fading in and out because of the pain...as much as he would like to give into the sleepiness something told him not to. Luffy's drifting eyes snapped open as he felt himself leaning forward. _How am I leaning? I'm tied back!_ With much trouble, he looked over his shoulder. Luffy found that the wood had been burning for a while now. If his skin was also burning he didn't feel it, it must've gone numb a long time ago. The ropes though were somehow still intact, he wondered if Bluejam used some sort of super rope to tie him. "Damn…" The curse word slipped from his mouth as a faint whisper. Coughs racked his chest as he inhaled smoke, the gray clouds filled his lungs and burned his insides with each breath. Luffy felt tears pricking the corner of his eyes. By now his entire body was numb, he knew he wouldn't be able to stay awake for much longer. And the flames would surround him in mere minutes.

His blurry eyes scanned the distance, searching for a person that could help him. Searching for Ace. But, exhaustion soon took over and his head dropped against his chest into an unconscious state.

* * *

Ace glared in hatred at the pirates surrounding him. That bastard Bluejam was grinning like there wasn't a care in the world. But he was locked in Grey Terminal along with rest of us. I don't think they'd make exceptions for scum like him even if he helped execute the plan.

Bluejam looked at him with a glint in his eye, "What do you think boys? Think that runt is dead yet?" Anger flared in him and he struggled against the two men holding him.

"Shut up!" He shouted. "Luffy won't die! You bastards don't know what you're talking about!" Bluejam narrowed his eyes and gave his men a curt nod. There was a streak of tan as a fist shot out and connected with his gut. Ace's eyes flared in pain and he coughed as his breath was taken back in raggedly. With an even more so hatred in his eyes he wiped the saliva from his chin on his shirt.

Bluejam scoffed glancing around at the fire. "We don't have much time brat." Ace's brows furrowed when he saw the pirate reaching for his holster. Bluejam took his gun out and gave him a smug look. "You've given us a lot of trouble," The pirate took a step forward and aimed the gun, right between his eyes. Ace felt his blood run cold. Was this the end? No, it couldn't be!

With a click, Bluejam had taken the safety off and rested his finger on the trigger. "The world will be better off without troublemakers like you."

Then, he fired.

Ace watched with wide eyes as the bullet shot out and covered the short distance between his forehead and the gun. Time seemed to slow, and he thought his pitiful life would be replaying in his last moments. But this wasn't the case here. He felt the grip around his arms loosen, thumps echoed in the air as bodies dropped to the ground. Seeing this as an opportunity he narrowly tried to avoid the bullet, pushing himself backwards. With slim success he was flying towards the earth back first. His eyes saw the bullet as it skimmed his face overhead. It pierced his hair and continued flying, missing it's target.

As he hit the earth the air was pushed from his lungs. His eyes shot open from the impact but he quickly regained his composure and managed to sit up. A few seconds later he recognized the confused voice of Bluejam, "W-What was that? Did _you_ do that?!" Ace pushed himself into a crouched position, his hardened eyes looked over the scene before him in surprise. Everyone except Bluejam was passed out on the earth. No one showed any signs of getting up. Ace glared at the pirate while at the same time looking for a weapon to defend himself now that he was free. The pirate shakily raised his gun, " _You!_ You can use Haki can't you?!" _I have no idea what 'Haki' is…_

He was just about to say a snarky retort when out of nowhere a large thing armed with an axe sliced the air in front of Bluejam, cutting the barrel of his gun off. It was dead silent except for the crackling of the flames as the pair took in the newcomer. Ace let out a sigh of relief as he recognized the old hag.

Dadan stood beside Bluejam a murderous look in her eyes. The large woman raised her axe again and rested it on the pirates throat as she looked over to him, "Ace! Luffy! You guys okay?!" The look in her eyes was replaced with a hint of fear when she realized Luffy wasn't with him. Dadan met eyes with him and shouted, "Ace where's Luffy?!"

He stepped forward and said in a low tone, "That bastard tied him up before we came here!"

Dadan's eyes flared in panic, "Ace go look for Luffy _now!_ The fire's spread throughout most of Grey Terminal, _find him!_ I can deal with this bastard." Bluejam smirked and ran a finger along the blades edge,

"So sure of yourself aren't you?"

Dadan gave the man a deadly glare and jerked her head to gesture to behind her, "Well I got these guys to back me up." Ace hadn't noticed it but the bandits who lived at Dadan's Kingdom were standing prepared for a fight. The old hag snapped her head in his direction and said, "Ace! Do what I tell you for once and look for Luffy!"

Ace bit his lip in anger. He wasn't one to run from a fight he started. But if he didn't leave now Luffy's life could be in danger. Bluejam met eyes with him and said in a cold tone, "Are you going to run away little brat?"

Ace growled and took a step forward, ready to fight with his bare fists, but a hand on his shoulder suddenly stopped him. He looked sideways to see Dogra wearing a sour expression, as always. He shook his shoulder in an a attempt to shake the man's hand off, "Let go!"

Dogra only tightened his grip and said, "Is fighting this man more important than Luffy's life?"

Those words caused him to freeze. He shifted on his feet, deciding what he should do. After a moment he brushed Dogra's hand off and began to walk forward. His gaze was locked with the pirate the entire time, a gaze of pure hatred. _Dadan better beat him up good_. The smirk on Bluejam's face faded as he passed without throwing a punch.

Ace paused in walking and said, "I'll find Luffy, you guys beat the hell out of this bastard."

Dadan chuckled and raised her axe above her head, swinging a few times. "Just was I was planning on doing, now get out of here."

Ace gave the old hag a firm nod before he started running. As he got further away the sounds of fighting got quieter. Now, to find Luffy. He thought hard to the place where Bluejam had tied him up...it had a lot of garbage around it. Was there any buildings? He didn't think so. And it wasn't that far from here. He clenched his hands into fists and looked side to side, his eyes flittering around the burning Terminal. _Luffy...you better be alive._

* * *

Dragon stood on the ship, his eyes observed the people running to the ship in relief. _These are the new recruits to the Revolution..._ Even after his speech no one stayed behind, they seemed thankful to get out of this place. This island has gone downhill since he left. The smaller villages like Foosha and the like are fine but places like the Gray Terminal are looked down upon by High Town. He remembered his encounter with the boy earlier. That boy himself was a noble and could see the filth transpiring on this island.

He wondered if Dawn Island will become a place poisoned by nobles as some places already are. "Dragon, are we leaving after they board?"

He looked to the side to see Ivankov looking into the flames, "You'll be leaving with everyone else, I'll join you later on. I'm staying behind to watch the arrival of the Tenryuubito."

Ivankov pursed his lips and said in a stubborn tone, "How come I can't come to see?"

Dragon sighed mentally, "We already discussed this. That big head of yours would attract too much attention."

"I'm wearing a _cloak_ though, no one would notice!" He raised an eyebrow and looked at Ivankov from the corner of his eye. The okama met his gaze accepting the final decision. "Fine, fill me in though on what happens. After all, Goa Kingdom went to great lengths to _impress_ one man." He scoffed quietly. The sound of many footsteps coming towards this side of the deck caught his attention.

He turned slightly and saw the large crowd of the people from the Gray Terminal. Many wore thankful expressions and were on their knees, others were in shock as they watched the only home they ever knew burn to ashes. It was silent save for the quiet chatter amongst the crowd until a woman called out in a loud voice, "Did anyone save that boy back there?" Dragon angled his head sideways to listen to this. The chatter had stopped and the people now wore guilty expressions.

"The fire...the fire got to him before I could do anything…" A young man said as he glanced down at his hands.

Another person called out his voice frantic, "What was he doing tied up anyways?!"

Someone else replied in a dark tone, "He might've pissed off Bluejam, but that bastard probably probably left Gray Terminal at the first sign of fire." There were many murmurs of agreement.

"Sir!" The first woman who spoke suddenly stood and faced him, the woman had a desperate expression on and he felt she was on the verge of begging. He acknowledged her with a slight nod. "Can you please look for the child? I believe he's still alive! I've seen him around Gray Terminal before with two other kids, I think he got mixed up in some stuff…"

This had interested Ivankov. After all there was a few minutes until they departed, it couldn't hurt to look. "Do you know the name of the kid?" The Revolutionary asked.

The woman nodded stiffly, she wrung her hands together and said, "His name is Luffy. He was with two other kids, their names are Ace and Sabo." Dragon suddenly straightened his back, his eyes hidden from the shadow of his cloak. Luffy was a familiar name, it was the name of a certain boy who he knew was living on this island as of this very moment.

"Dragon?" Ivankov asked cautiously noticing his sudden mood change. He ignored his subordinate and turned back around to face the burning Terminal. After a few seconds of scanning the land he activated Kenbunshoku Haki. He noticed a few more presences of other people trapped by the fire, but at the moment they didn't seem to be in life-threatening danger. About a mile inland he spotted a small shape. It was a child, he was lying face first on the earth, fire was covering him. Without a word he jumped onto the railing and off onto the land. He followed the path he created earlier until he was a few feet away from the boy.

Dragon's lips formed a frown as he looked over the charred skin of the young child. The flames had faded away by the time he arrived and left a boy around ten, skin color varying from a ruby red to a dark brown. Miraculously the boy's clothes or hair wasn't burnt off. With one arm he bent down and carefully picked up the unconscious child. When he did there was no signs of him waking, no moans of pain. His frown deepened. _Is he even alive?_

"Oi Lu! Luffy! Where the hell are you?!" Dragon looked up and spotted a short figure beyond the cover of the smoke. He assumed this was one of the other boys the woman had been talking about. Silently he walked back to the ship, not wanting to be discovered.

When he arrived back on the ship he handed the boy to one of his subordinates saying, "Heal him the best you can." The man gave him a firm nod before he began giving the child an examination.

"Dragon is that the kid they were talking about?!' Ivankov exclaimed. He was partly shocked that Dragon would actually go look for the kid when the majority of the group probably thought he was dead. Ivankov himsef was looking at the child and said in a grim tone, "It doesn't look like he's alive…"

"Silence!" He snapped. Ivankov's eyes widened and did as he was told, he didn't want to bring on his boss' anger. It was something he didn't like to see. Dragon walked over to the ship's railing and sighed in frustration. If that kid _was_ Luffy it'd be a problem. What in the world was Garp doing to raise him anyways? He wondered that at times, remembering how the man was with him he felt a twinge of pity wherever the child was. Once the child had emergency care applied he'd put him back on the island, whether he was Luffy or not. He wouldn't bring the child with him and risk it. He didn't intend for his son to grow up as a Revolutionary.

"Ivankov, I'm heading to High Town to wait for the arrival of the Tenryuubito. Once the child has emergency care applied send him back to the island. Depart and head back to Baltigo." Ivankov nodded stiffly, his mouth pressed into a firm line.

As he jumped off of the ship and descended onto the earth he heard the faint shouts as Ivankov gave orders. He landed gracefully and began walking, sticking to the shadows. Soon he would arrived at High Town. There he would see the nobles who sunk so low to call shun their own people, calling them trash and burning their home. It was a sick thought indeed. And all for a Tenryuubito.

* * *

 **One Week Later; Dadan's Hideout**

It'd been extremely quiet around the hideout. Dadan had only just woke up a few days ago, her suffering grave injuries from her fight with Bluejam. But that bastard was taken out, but who knows where he is now. Dead...or already left Dawn Island. The bandits were busy doing the work for neither Sabo, Ace, or Luffy were there to do it. Sabo had gone back with his noble family. Ace was somewhere...no one really knew. And Luffy, Ace wasn't able to find him during the fire in Grey Terminal. There wasn't even signs of a body. Everyone could only hope he made it out.

Currently Ace was chipping away at a tree that stood behind Dadan's hideout. He wasn't very successful but it was something to pass the time. He missed having that annoying kid trailing him everywhere he went. Following the events in Grey Terminal, he wouldn't admit it but he'd been lonely. Without Sabo to cause mischief with by stealing money or Luffy to tease or go hunting with...the place just seemed empty.

When the people down in Foosha Village heard of Luffy's disappearance most of them were in a panic. Makino was the most helpful for she had scoured the remains of the garbage in Grey Terminal when the gates had reopened. Sadly they found nothing. Ace had found the spot where Bluejam tied Luffy up, the place was burnt to a crisp but thankfully there weren't any bones.

Ace grimaced and he dug the knife harder into the tree. He was angry at himself. He let Bluejam get the upper hand, nearly kill him and separate him and Luffy. That kid doesn't really have a hand on his Devil Fruit powers yet so his isn't really any good in battle. It's up to _him_ to protect Luffy.

Ace paused in digging into the tree and looked towards the path that led up to the hideout. For a moment he thought he saw someone out of the corner of his eye. But it had been hot lately so maybe it was the heat playing tricks. He shrugged and turned back around. He was just about to continue what he had been doing when he picked up on a faint voice.

Now that wasn't the heat.

He turned around standing as he did. He balanced on the branch he had climbed up to and looked through squinted eyes to see who was coming. It was Makino. The woman looked like she ran the whole way here, her cheeks were ablaze and she was breathing heavily. As she got closer, he could hear what she was shouting.

"Dadan! Ace! Everyone! He's back! L...Luffy! We found him!" Ace's eyes widened and in a flash he'd jumped safely to the earth, bolting over to the woman. Makino looked a little startled to see him as he appeared.

Practically shouting he asked, "Is it true?! Where is he?"

Makino gave him a smile and took in a deep breath, Ace gritted his teeth. Right now he wasn't very patient. After a moment the woman said, "He appeared on a boat in the village just now, he looks pretty bad but-" Ace didn't stay to hear the rest of what she was going to say. Instead he flew down the mountain, taking shortcuts. He jumped over rocks and dodged trees. He needed to see Luffy to know he was alright.

A few minutes later he arrived at the village. He placed his hands on his knees to catch his breath then headed to the dock. Makino had said he came on a boat. Why was Luffy on a boat in the first place? Anyways a boat would be at the docks.

When he arrived at the dock there was a small crowd of villagers. In annoyance he rudely shoved them out of the way, ignoring the complaints he received. When he finally broke through he saw the Mayor, Woop Slap standing off to the side. The old man met eyes with him and smiled in relief. More towards the edge of the dock there was the person who he thought was the village's doctor-he had a white coat on. The man was kneeled down and seemed to be looking at something, or _someone._

Panic surged through him and he rushed over to the body laying on the dock. And he confirmed his suspicions. Luffy was there, all bandaged up, his skin a dark color signaling burning. With his eyes still locked on the boy he asked the doctor, "Is he going to be okay?"

A few more _long_ seconds later, the doctor answered, "Yes. In fact I think he'll heal quite nicely. Someone applied emergency care before his wounds could've gotten any worse. After a few weeks I think the burns will heal and fade away, if anything they'll just leave rough skin or a few scars. But he won't wake up for a day or two."

Ace felt himself relax hearing this news. Luffy, this idiot brother of his, was going to be alright. "That's great," He breathed out. A hand reach out and gently ruffled Luffy's hair. _You made me worry Luffy._ A wave of confusion hit him as he realized something,

"Was there a straw hat with him?" He asked to no one particular. If Luffy's hat burned in the fire, the kid would be devastated. Woop Slap stepped forward pulled an object out from behind his back,

"You mean this?" The mayor revealed the thing in question.

Ace nodded, "Thanks old man, Luffy would've threw a fit if it got destroyed in the fire." Woop Slap frowned at being called an 'old man' but he let it slip. He reached out and took the hat from the man observing it as he did. It was singed but nothing serious, Makino could probably make repairs if it was needed. He smirked, twirling the hat on the tip of his finger before placing it on his sleeping brother's face.

Ace sighed and looked to the sky. Someone had helped Luffy before he found his way back to Foosha Village. Wherever you are, thanks.

* * *

 **Same time; Baltigo, Revolutionary Base**

Dragon sipped a cup of tea as he read the paper. Suddenly he felt an itching in his nose, and he let out an incredibly loud sneeze. He looked around once, rubbed his nose, then continued on reading the paper.

 **(A/N I attempted to add a little humor at the end haha, even though he wasn't speaking about Dragon directly with his name and everything it was still about him. Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading!)**


End file.
